for all purposes; on 20 March 2000,
the Central Bank of Ecuador started to exchange sucres for US
dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres per US dollar; since 30
April 2000, all transactions are denominated in US dollars

Fiscal year: calendar year

Ecuador Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 899,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 160,061 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: NA

domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 392, FM 27, shortwave 29 (1998)

Radios: 4.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 15 (including one station on the
Galapagos Islands) (1997)

Televisions: 1.55 million (1997)

Internet country code: .ec

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2000)

Internet users: 20,000 (2000)

Ecuador Transportation

Railways: total: 965 km

narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)

Highways: total: 43,197 km

paved: 8,165 km

unpaved: 35,032 km (1999 est.)

Waterways: 1,500 km

Pipelines: crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km

Ports and harbors: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto
Bolivar, San Lorenzo

Merchant marine: total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
233,312 GRT/385,784 DWT

ships by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1,
passenger 3, petroleum tanker 22, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 180 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 59

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

914 to 1,523 m: 15

under 914 m: 19 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 121

914 to 1,523 m: 32

under 914 m: 89 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Ecuador Military

Military branches: Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada
Ecuatoriana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Ecuatoriana), National Police (Policia Nacional)

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,382,567 (2001
est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
2,280,899 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 132,978
(2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $720 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY98)

Ecuador Transnational Issues

Disputes - inte